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13 March 2011

Thinking DNA: 23andMe?

I've previously tested my mtDNA and Autosomal DNA (Family Finder) with Family Tree DNA. I've also tested my Dad's y-DNA and have an order in for a y-DNA test for my maternal uncle. I have to confess that I haven't really had any real results with these tests, though I have enjoyed the experience and very much like the company. I have a few leads with my Family Finder results, but no confirmed connection yet.

Despite/Because of this, I'm tempted to try testing with another company, 23andMe. Their website is being buggy, but it looks like they offer one all inclusive test for $199. I think this test would cover both mtDNA and Autosomal DNA (Relative Finder), but I'm having trouble navigating the website and their FAQ page is somewhat vague (when compared to Family Tree DNA).

I have seen others genealogists have recently taken the 23andMe test. Can anyone confirm what the test includes and if they are happy with their results so far?

4 comments:

I tested both my parents through 23andMe back in December when they had their big sale. I also tested through FamilyTreeDNA and while the turnaround time for results was about the same, I felt like I got more for my money at 23andMe.

The test will determine the mtDNA haplogroup of someone as well as their Y-DNA haplogroup if that person is male. They also look at genetic markers related to health and tell if you're at risk for certain conditions (like Parkinson's and certain cancers), and they find genetic matches for you to contact. The best part, I think, is that you can download your entire genome and further analyze it on your own.

I'd wait to order your test until April 15 (National DNA Day), 23andMe usually has a sale that day.

There is also a private group on Facebook for people new to 23andMe, you could probably get all your questions answered there. E-mail me if you want to know more about it.

Hi, I did 23andMe when they had a $99 sale in December. Honestly love the amount of data I got back, the haplogroup info helped answered the question of whether my Hong Kong relatives were Portuguese or Chinese, I found a whole bunch of folks in Canada and the US that I share connections with and I even found a Finnish connection no one had ever known about. The Ancestry Painting tool and Relative Finder are fabulous features and worth paying for, in my opinion.

I, too, took advantage of the end of year "sale" and ordered several kits for my family. We're still sorting through the data - no breakthroughs but interesting info.

It is the fact that you can download and keep your data (not the entire genome which is not analyzed, but the SNPs they record) that sold me. At some point I hope I'll be able to upload the data to other websites and compare info.

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